Sept. 13, 1971Eleven AFSCME-represented prison employees, 33 inmates die in four days of rioting at New York State’s Attica Prison and the retaking of the prison. The riot caused the nation to take a closer look at prison conditions, for inmates and their guards alike.~ Voices of Labor

Hoffa: This Labor Day, we remember that the purpose of a union is to stand togetherSept. 1, 2017 | In his Labor Day message, General President Jim Hoffa wrote: “Our union’s response to the devastation of Hurricane Harvey makes this Labor Day more meaningful than ever. The Teamsters Union has always been an early responder in times of crisis, donating and distributing emergency supplies, coordinating logistics, raising money for those in need and more. When our members are affected – whether from an unfair employer, legislation unfair to working families or even natural disasters – the union family stands together. Labor Day is a time to reflect on who we are as a union. Our job isn’t just to organize members, bargain and protect contracts. It’s to bring respect and dignity to all working people. That means being there when we are needed.

Teamsters Package Division reviewing thousands of UPS contract proposalsSept. 1, 2017 |Having received thousands of proposal sheets by the end of the day yesterday, the Teamsters Package Division has begun the process of organizing and reviewing each proposal submitted by members from the union’s nearly 200 UPS locals, including Local 355 (Baltimore), Local 453 (Cumberland), and Local 992 (Hagerstown). The top five contract section proposals received are Health Welfare and Pension (Art. 34), Overtime/9.5 (Art. 37), Subcontracting/Coyote (Art. 26 and 32), Safety and Health (Art. 18), and Part-Time Wages (Art.22)… teamster.org

Teamsters support immigration reform with path to citizenshipSept. 5, 2017 | General President Jim Hoffa on the decision handed down from the White House today to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive order originally put in place under President Obama: “The Teamsters are disappointed by this decision, as the union has long supported immigration reform and a path to citizenship for our nation’s ‘dreamers’. These young people are already citizens in every way that matters and deserve to have all of the same rights and opportunities enjoyed by U.S.-born children. Ending the DACA program punishes these nearly 800,000 people, including numerous Teamster across industries…” teamster.org

Taylor named Teamsters Package Division DirectorSept. 6, 2017 | The Teamsters Union announced today that Local 355 President Denis Taylor has been appointed Package Division Director and co-chair of the UPS National Negotiating Committee. Taylor is also president of Teamsters Joint Council 62 of which Local 992 is a member. Having started as a Teamster in the package delivery industry as a driver for UPS, Denis has the experience, commitment and knowledge to lead the upcoming negotiations to continue to build upon and improve our industry leading contract.

Teamsters oppose new seasonal vehicle classification, issues multiple info requestsSept. 18, 2017 |Last Friday, Package Division Director Denis Taylor sent a letter to UPS Labor to express the objections of both the master and supplemental negotiating committees to UPS’s unilateral move to create a new “Seasonal Personal Vehicle Driver” (SPVD) classification. Taylor’s letter expressed his belief that new job classifications are mandatory subjects of bargaining and UPS needs to negotiate with the union over SPVD drivers. The letter also outlines multiple specific requests for information from the company regarding its SPVD program.

Teamsters UPS and UPS Freight screening committees to meet Sept. 25thSept. 20, 2017 |The UPS and UPS Freight Screening Committees are scheduled for September 25th and the Two-Person Review is scheduled for October 17th. Teamsters Package Division Director Denis Taylor, Co-Chair of the UPS National Negotiating Committee, will lead the meetings along with Kris Taylor who is Co-Chair of the UPS Freight National Negotiating Committee. Learn more about the proposal process.

Tell your senator to vote against another bad health care billSept. 21, 2017 | The Senate is once again considering healthcare legislation that would harm working families in America. The Graham-Cassidy amendment to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act will eliminate certain taxes like the medical device tax but retain the 40% excise tax on high quality health care plans. Known as the “Cadillac Tax”, it ultimately places an unfair penalty on our collectively bargained health care benefits. This legislation will have real, negative impacts on healthcare for American families. Take action now!

After three back-to-back hurricanes, Teamsters leave no stone unturnedSept. 26, 2017 |In less than a month, our membership has been devastated by three hurricanes that caused such catastrophic damage in so little time, it pales in comparison to anything else in recent memory. In the aftermath of these storms, Teamsters are on the front lines… teamsters.org Donate to the Teamsters Disaster Relief Fund here.

UPS proposal screening committee conducts first meeting Sept. 27, 2017 |On Monday, Sept. 25, the UPS National Negotiating Committee (NNC) met in the Washington, D.C. area, to go through contract proposals received from UPS members. The proposals received at the Package Division surpassed the numbers that anyone could recall. The consensus was that, while the UPS contract is far and away the best labor contract in the country, there are plenty of issues and concerns that must be addressed, including… teamster.org

Sign the petition: Tell our government to stop corporate power grab Sept. 28, 2017 |Please add your name to this petition demanding that any NAFTA renegotiation remove the corporate power grab known as ISDS. Known as the Investor-State Dispute Settlement, ISDS is a controversial NAFTA provision that gave big corporations vast new powers that make it easier to offshore jobs and attack the environmental and health laws on which we all rely. More information on petition form here.

Union recruiting volunteer members to help move vital suppliesSept. 29, 2017 |The Teamsters are joining with other labor unions from across the nation to identify skilled workers to travel to Puerto Rico next week to provide much needed support in critical areas. There is currently a need for volunteer truck drivers who hold a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) to transport shipping containers from the port to distribution centers throughout the island. Additionally, the Teamsters Freight, Airline, Passenger Transport, Public Services and Waste Divisions are contacting Teamster employers that operate in Puerto Rico and our local unions throughout the U.S. and Canada to identify avenues of support and volunteers… teamsters.org

General Membership Meeting: Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019 at 10 a.m.(Note: Nominations for Local Union Officers will be held at this meeting.)
All membership meetings are held at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites,
241 Railway Lane, Hagerstown, Md. Please make every effort to attend!